The market growth and wide acceptance of glass mat gypsum panels has led to the development and approval of a new ASTM International standard. C 1658/C 1658M, Specification for Glass Mat Gypsum Panels, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee C11.01 on Specifications and Test Methods for Gypsum Products, which is part of ASTM International Committee C11 on Gypsum and Related Building Materials and Systems.

“This standard defines the product properties and allows for a comparative view against other building products such as gypsum board,” says Fabio Esguerra, C11.01 member and technical manager, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum LLC. “Innovative architects and specifiers are more likely to use this new standard, as well as building code officials.”

The following types of glass mat gypsum panels are covered in C 1658/C 1658M:

• Glass mat interior gypsum panel, designed for use on walls, ceilings or partitions;
• Glass mat coreboard gypsum panel and glass mat shaftliner gypsum panel, designed for use as a base in multilayer systems or as gypsum studs or cores in semisolid or solid gypsum board partitions, or in shaftwall assemblies; and
• Glass mat water-resistant gypsum panel, designed to be used as a base for the application of ceramic or plastic tile on walls or ceilings.